Meechai says Article 7 not authorises appointment of prime minister

Meechai Ruchuphan, former president of National Legislative Assembly, Wednesday clarified that Article 7 of the Constitution does not authorise nomination and appointment of a prime minister.

Meechai, a respected legal expert, made the clarification in his answer to a question posted on his website, MeechaiThailand.com.

“Article 7 does not authorise appointment of prime minister. Those who talked about ‘Article-7 prime minister’ definitely copied the phrase from someone who said it earlier. It was just a phrase made to look cool,” Meechai wrote on his website.

“Article 7 is enforced when no article of the Constitution can be applied directly. In such case, the ruling tradition will be applied but it will depend on the goal of the application of the article.”